Lost Images

[David Roth]

Working with PM6 build 5277, windows 10 2004. I had two contact sheets under the same directory that I wanted to consolidate. After editing/deleting some of the images in one of the contact sheets, I selected all the images and dragged them into the 2nd contact sheet. I then renamed the 2nd contact sheet to reflect the combined images and deleted the first directory. I went to check the organizer tab to see whether it had been updated, but it had not.

Going back to my renamed directory (contact sheet), I found it empty - neither the original images nor the moved images were in it. I did a complete disk search on the first six characters of the image file names and came up with nothing. I checked the recycle bin and the images were not there - only the ones I deleted while editing.

I've done similar actions in both PM5 and PM6 without any problems. Fortunately, I have a backup of the original two directories, but this is worrisome to say the least.

[Kirk Baker]

Dave,

Working with PM6 build 5277, windows 10 2004. I had two contact sheets under the same directory that I wanted to consolidate. After editing/deleting some of the images in one of the contact sheets, I selected all the images and dragged them into the 2nd contact sheet. I then renamed the 2nd contact sheet to reflect the combined images and deleted the first directory. I went to check the organizer tab to see whether it had been updated, but it had not.

Going back to my renamed directory (contact sheet), I found it empty - neither the original images nor the moved images were in it. I did a complete disk search on the first six characters of the image file names and came up with nothing. I checked the recycle bin and the images were not there - only the ones I deleted while editing.

I've done similar actions in both PM5 and PM6 without any problems. Fortunately, I have a backup of the original two directories, but this is worrisome to say the least.

I agree completely.  But please note that Photo Mechanic Plus is PM6 but with catalog features added to it.  All of the file manipulation is pure PM6.  So let's make sure that I understand you.

You have a directory structure something like this:

Code: [Select]

Pictures
|
+---------------------------+
|                           |
FolderA                     FolderB

You had two folder-based contact sheet tabs open, one for FolderA and one for FolderB and after culling in FolderA, you selected all in FolderA and dragged and dropped them onto the contact sheet tab for FolderB, waited for it to come forward and dropped your images onto the other images in the FolderB tab.  Then you renamed FolderB to a new name and deleted FolderA.

Where did you do the renaming of FolderB?  Inside Photo Mechanic Plus?  If so, from the Favorites or the Navigator?
Where did you do the deleting of FolderA? Inside Photo Mechanic Plus?  If so, from the Favorites or the Navigator?
When you went back to your renamed folder's contact sheet tab, you found it empty.  Before you did this renaming/deleting of folders, were your images there in the folder that you moved your images into (FolderB)?  When you did this "complete disk search", what search facility did you use?

Please clarify any mistakes I've made in describing what I understand.

Thanks,

-Kirk

[David Roth]

Your restatement of what occurred is correct. All image manipulation (renaming, deleting) was within PM6 Plus, using Favorites. I searched C:\ using the windows explorer search tool with the search term "NZ2004*", which is how all the filenames begin. The move involved about 250 items.

I don't recall when I first looked at the destination directory - before or after renaming it. It may have been after.

I won't restore the original files, just in case you need some additional information.

Thanks.

DR

[David Roth]

I just went through the recycle bin again and found the entire destination directory as it was prior to renaming. Its size indicates to me that it probably contains all the images. Previously, I had only been looking for the image files. I'll leave it there pending your response. I never saw any delete confirmation if I had accidentally hit a delete at some time.

DR

[Kirk Baker]

Dave,

I just went through the recycle bin again and found the entire destination directory as it was prior to renaming. Its size indicates to me that it probably contains all the images. Previously, I had only been looking for the image files. I'll leave it there pending your response. I never saw any delete confirmation if I had accidentally hit a delete at some time.

If there is a reproducible case that you can list the steps that would lead to data loss, I'm keen to receive that information.  I'm not sure what I can learn from something that has already happened, when we don't know what steps made it happen.  I'd say restore and if you don't mind, retrace your steps and see if it happens again.  If it does happen again, please list all of the steps that you did (screenshots are welcome).

We take issues such as this very seriously.

-Kirk

[David Roth]

Understood. Since this was so unexpected, I did not keep close track of what I was doing. The restore from the recycle bin did include all the lost photos and it put them under the original directory name. So it appears that a new directory was created and the original directory was deleted rather than being renamed. I'll pay a little closer attention in the future.

Thanks for your quick response.

Dave Roth

[David Roth]

Unless I renamed and deleted the wrong directory! Makes more sense. 

[Kirk Baker]

Dave,

Unless I renamed and deleted the wrong directory! Makes more sense. 

Yeah, I'm not sure what went wrong either, but based on the description of using drag and drop to move files (which should have reported an error if it had one) and the result in the end was files in a folder in the Recycle Bin, I'm certain that drag and drop of files couldn't do that.

-Kirk